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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the cost of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker discovered personally.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand effects of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality medical attention and constant care than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in the spring following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility suspected information of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “significant personnel”, equipment and machinery.

“It cannot happen in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reveal a wider lack of awareness of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has shown to be highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|